1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ports on peripheral devices; and more particularly to ports for out of band communication.
2. Description of Related Art
Configuration and maintenance of electronic computer peripheral equipment is critical. When a user has purchased a peripheral device, the device may need to be set-up. Later, during the use of the device, the device may require trouble shooting, debugging, or diagnosis. Standard interfaces provided on devices may not provide sufficient access to circuitry within the devices to allow for performance of diagnosis, assessment of status, or debugging. However, physically opening the device in order to gain access to the circuitry in the device may be time consuming, inconvenient, or destructive to the device.
What is needed is a port in a computer peripheral device which allows access to control circuitry in the device, without requiring that the device be disassembled. In some prior computer peripherals devices, a port was provided for diagnostic purposes. Such an extra port requires additional hardware and space on the device. Further, such an additional port may be confusing to a user, who may not be aware of the purpose of the port. What is needed, therefore, is an improved interface for access to internal circuitry in a computer peripheral device for a diagnostic or other purposes.